Store this not that: Food Storage Style…TVP Chicken and Freeze Dried Chicken

TVP CHICKEN VS. FREEZE DRIED CHICKEN & CANNED CHICKEN

Okay, so I tried. I really, really tried to stomach the chicken tvp. I tried putting it in a really flavorful soup but here’s the thing, the fake chicken taste is hard to hide (in fact nothing I did hid it). It’s just so….fake….tasting. I personally could never really get past it. Not to mention that the texture goes from crunchy to soggerific (you heard me…soggerific…so soggy, it deserves it’s own word). So I don’t normally say things like this but in this instance, I would say to not waste a lot of time or energy on chicken tvp. Why? Well there are a lot of other options (that will taste just like chicken) you have for storing chicken. Things like canned chicken (you can purchase this from the store or can your own…videos on that to come later) or you can purchase freeze dried chicken. (Shelf Reliance has it on sale, right now-click HERE for more info)

MY REVIEW OF FREEZE DRIED CHICKEN


This was the first time I tried freeze dried chicken and I have to say I was really impressed. It tastes different from canned chicken in that it tastes like you JUST cooked it. Very fresh tasting, unlike canned chicken. I was also impressed with how easy it was to hydrate. You basically just pour water over it and BAM, hydrated! For this soup, I actually just threw it in the slow cooker and was impressed that it didn’t fall apart in the 5-6 hours it cooked.

FREEZE DRIED CHEDDAR CHEESE

As a side note, I also tried freeze dried cheese in the soup because I ran out of cheese (too many grilled cheeses…) and have sick kids (which means I haven’t left the house in more than 3 days *twitch* *twitch*) so I figured it was a great time to try this! Another amazing find! It tastes just like fresh cheese! It took a little longer to hydrate than I had hoped but once hydrated (I just threw it in the soup to hydrate) it was awesome! A great addition to keep you from running to the store! (Shelf Reliance also has this on sale right now, click HERE for more info)

 SLOW COOKER NACHO SOUP

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Nacho Soup
Recipe type: Dinner
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 

Serves: 6
 

This soup is yummy and entirely easy! I call it this because my kids love nachos and I wanted them to eat it…it’s sneaky, I know…but you have to be with food storage!
Ingredients
  • 1 lb. shredded or cubed, cooked chicken (2 c. canned or freeze dried chicken)
  • 1 can (15 oz.) diced tomatoes
  • 1 can (10 oz.) enchilada sauce
  • 1 can (15.5 oz) black beans, drained
  • 1 can (15.5 oz) corn, drained
  • 1 can (4 oz.) diced green chiles
  • 1 can (15 oz.) olives, sliced (optional)
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 C. water
  • 2 C. chicken broth (either from a bouillon or can)
  • 1 t. cumin
  • 1 t. chili powder
  • 1 t. salt
  • ¼ t. black pepper
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 T. chopped cilantro or 2 t. dried cilantro
  • tortilla chips
  • cheese
  • sour cream

Instructions
  1. Place all ingredients except tortilla chips, cheese, and sour cream in slow cooker.
  2. Cover and cook on low setting for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours.
  3. Serve soup with tortilla chips, cheese, and sour cream.

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ONE LAST FOOD STORAGE TIP

One more quick thing I learned in experimenting with this….when you’re not sure about how something may taste, make sure you try it in a small amount! Not a huge amount of soup that you may have to throw out later when it tastes bad..just saying! ;)

© 2011, Crystal. All rights reserved.

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  • Dochiny Wade

    Thanks for the advice on chicken!  I frequently turn to canned chicken in my cooking but I’ve never tried freeze-dried.  At least I know not to bother with tvp!

  • Kimberly

    Their chicken is great, but beware the ham. It goes bad very quickly. Bought a whole can and didn’t pay attention that it had to be used in like 2 weeks after opening or something ridiculously short. Wouldn’t have bought a big can had I paid attention. Ham is back to being diced and frozen. :) Thanks for the tip on the cheese. I’ve wondered about it but not dared try it.
    Try the chicken tvp on a salad – not rehydrated and pretend it is bacon bits. :) That’s what a friend of mine suggested and I tried it dry and it was fine. Haven’t tried rehydrating it yet.

  • Jamielynn27

    I dont care for the chicken TVP hydrated.  However on top of a salad like bacon bits is sooo good!  Try it that way!

  • Anonymous

    Thanks for the chicken-flavored-TVP review and tip about freeze-dried chicken.

    “*twitch* *twitch*”

    I LOL’d as I got a visual from that – thanks for the laugh!

  • Anonymous

    Yup – I’m not surprised with your reaction to chicken TVP, mine was the same.  I will try it like bacon bits on a salad.  I now have a whole can to get rid of, yuk.

    -Rita

  • Dede

    I bought the bacon and taco TVP and I really liked them.  I use the taco in taco soup.